The Spitfire Collection
by Kdibs227
Summary: A series of one-shots from the usual five titans.
1. Saving (BBxRob) Arch 1 Part 1

Author's note: I'm alive! I got my writing spark back and I've decided to go back to writing little one-shot collections. One of the topics I would have liked to see in the old show was how the team responded to BB actually telling them that he was adopted by Rita and Steve. Especially considering the titan's view on the DP. So, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Robin stumbled on it accidentally. It was just a simple line on the paper, but he found it odd. There wasn't any other mention of it on other files. Robin was a bit miffed at that; the Doom Patrol files were always organized and didn't miss details. Disregarding the other thoughts he had in head, he got up and went looking for his friend. It was warm and sunny and the whole team was on the roof. Cyborg was getting his ass handed to him in volleyball and Starfire was having a good time doing it. Raven and Beast Boy were sitting together; the empath was huddled in the shade, and didn't seem to notice Robin approaching them. He sat down next to Beast Boy and watched as Cyborg served the ball.

"Hey, I noticed something weird on a file. Mind clearing it up?" Beast Boy looked up from his sketch.

"Ya, sure." Robin was a bit of a control freak when it came to paperwork, and after knowing the guy for almost six years, they had gotten used to it. It wasn't as annoying as it used to be, and Robin had gotten much better at asking for clarification rather than demanding it.

"I hit the wrong folder and ended up looking at some DP files. Says that Mento had a kid. Know anything about that?" Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at that.

"Didn't it give a name?" Robin seemed surprised at the tone.

"No, just said that he had a kid. Maybe he wanted to keep him off the books?" Robin smiled a bit. "I just thought you might know since you worked with them." Beast Boy gathered up his stuff, and didn't notice the look on Raven's face. The girl was frowning at her boyfriend.

"I don't know why he did. And, ya, I know who the kid is." Robin stood up and followed him off the roof.

"Oh, that's good. What's the kid like?" Robin was hearted by the fact that maybe Beast Boy wasn't the only kid around the older team.

"What'd you expect. I think I'm going to inside for a bit." Beast Boy hit the elevator button harder than necessary. Robin held up his hands.

"Look, I didn't mean to pry, I'm just curious. It's ok if you can't tell." Robin knew that you had to keep some people in secret. Maybe the kid wasn't in the hero circle. Just an average kid with Dome Head for a father.

"It's fine. Actually, Cyborg wanted you to play so you better go help him." Beast Boy darted into the elevator and pressed the close button. Robin stuck his hand in to hold the door.

"Are you ok? I didn't mean to look, it was just an accident." Beast Boy waved his hand off the metal.

"It's not your fault. I have a call to make, Robin, so I'll catch you later." And with that the doors shut. Robin stared at them for a while before heading back to the roof. He'd obviously caused some issue, and it might be wise to leave Beast Boy alone for a bit before asking again. The Doom Patrol was always a touchy subject. Raven still in the same spot and didn't mind him sitting down next to her.

"What was that about?" Robin asked her. Raven tapped her book cover.

"Robin, I can't say anything on this. It's not mine to share." Robin shrugged.

"I was just curious. He never mentioned another kid at the base." Raven got up and stared down the boy wonder.

"All I know is that whenever Beast Boy decides to tell you, he will. My advice is to stop asking." The girl went back inside, probably off to check on her boyfriend, and Robin went off to play with the two remaining teammates on the roof. He couldn't get Raven's advice out of his head.

X

Mento seemed surprised to have him call, but Beast Boy was filled with a bit of confusion and a whole lot of hurt. Thankfully, no one came down to the second floor, and he had removed all the bugs so there wouldn't be a record of this.

"Beast Boy? Everything ok, you don't usually call until the end of the month." Beast Boy bit back some of the bitterness in his tone.

"Nothing is wrong. Well, nothing to deal with the fate of the world."

"Then what's going on? We're going to be leaving soon. We just stopped to refuel." Always putting the mission first. Nothing had changed there.

"I'll make it quick. Robin accidentally saw the old files. There was a listing of a kid there, nothing else." Mento frowned. "You never made it public. The adoption. I have Robin questioning me about another kid at the base when there never was one." It stung that the man hadn't even bothered to list who he was. Mento heaved out a sigh.

"I admit that it wasn't the best decision, but I convinced Rita that it was the best plan. We could have anyone who knew how to hack knowing that it was you. There was enough risk with having you on the team; if someone found out that you were ours… god, you know the people we fought." He did. If they found out, Beast Boy would probably be dead at the very best.

"You could have had it changed."

"Yes, but that doesn't take care of the risk. And, despite my past actions… I do want you safe. Besides, Galtry is still out there. I don't want him hunting down the custody papers. You deserve that much."

"But not enough to be named." His former leader frowned.

"That's not fair, Garfield. You know how much I care about you." The familiar air of arguing was back between them.

"I know, but all I'm wondering is why you still can't have it listed. It's been years, and no offense sir, if Galtry wanted me, all he had to do is turn on the news. Kinda hard to miss a green kid." The telepath flinch at that. "I understand that you can't tell people in our circle, but now I'm gonna be stuck explaining this to Robin. And he interrogates worse than you."

"It's the only way I can keep you safe from here. People knew you worked on this team, Gar, and they don't know that we're keeping you safe on another level. Listen, we're leaving in a few minutes. If you still want to discuss this, we can when you call again." It was the best the man could offer. Beast Boy nodded and noted that someone was coming down the elevator.

"I've got to go. I'll talk to you at the end of the month." Mento looked like he wanted to say more, but he got cut off. He wasn't sure how he felt about this. God, the man couldn't even put it on paper. All the files were confidential and hidden. He wasn't shocked when Raven walked in and locked the door. She raised an eyebrow at his old communicator.

"Don't ask. He had to answer a few questions." Beast Boy tossed it off to the side. The idea of having it in his hands anymore was more than he could deal with right now. Raven sat down next to hand and put her head on his shoulder.

"Robin isn't going to stop asking. It might be time to tell him."

"I told you."

"Yes, but that doesn't solve the problem. You told me out of trust and confidence. I'm flattered by the fact that you told me first, but the others will wonder."

Raven was the only person that knew that Mento and Elastic Girl were more than just two members on his former team. The two had adopted him, half out of good will, the other half to ensure that Galtry couldn't get to him again. There was a handful of people that knew, and Raven was the first titan to know. He almost told Cyborg once or twice, but he knew how his best friend regarded the Doom Patrol, so he kept it to himself. It was almost two years since first meeting the DP, and Raven was still the only one to know.

"I know that, but Robin isn't asking out of concern. He's just asking. And no offense, Rae, I'm not really in the mood to share it when I know what the opinions of them are." Raven let him get up and watched him pace.

"His opinion could change. I know that at the start we didn't manage our dislike of them, but this could improve their view of the Doom Patrol. It's your decision." Raven got up and grabbed his communicator from the floor. "I'll stand by what you do. If you talk, then I'll support you. If you decide to wait, then I'll support that too." Beast Boy let her hug him. He reluctantly took the device from her.

"Let's see what Robin does. Maybe this time he'll actually leave something alone." Raven laughed.

"I don't see that happening, but you can hope." Raven pulled him out of the room. "Come on, at least come back to the roof. Robin will keep his mouth shut and we can laugh when Star beats him and Cyborg." Beast Boy went along with it. Raven was letting it drop for right now, but not for long.

X

Robin didn't bring it up again until the next week. The boy wonder was probably waiting until the changeling was alone to corner him. Beast Boy had been doing some simulations in the gym when Robin walked in. Cyborg was out for the day, and the girls had gone off to the mall.

"Hey." Beast Boy took a sip of his water and offered up a wave.

"Hi, coming in for a workout?" Robin shook his head and leaned against one of the treadmills.

"Actually, I was wondering if we could talk." That sent warning bells off in Beast Boy's head. That very phrase often spelt death for him. He should have known that Robin had planned this.

"That doesn't sound good." Robin gestured to the pile of mats they all used as seats when in the training room.

"You didn't do anything. I'm just… well, curious and a bit concerned." Well, if Beast Boy wasn't worried before, he was now.

"Ya, sure." He cautiously took a seat and Robin followed suit. "So…" Robin looked a bit stunned for a moment before he got his thoughts together.

"I know you probably can't give me a lot of details, but when you mentioned a kid in the Doom Patrol, I was curious. Still am, actually." Beast Boy felt his stomach drop. It looked like he would be having this conversation again.

"I can give you a few details." Robin perked up.

"Ok, um, I just figured they didn't list the kid because he didn't have powers." Beast Boy shook his head.

"No, there were powers." Robin nodded.

"Ok, but do they still live with the DP? Mento probably doesn't let them out of sight." Beast Boy snickered.

"Nope, left home pretty young."

"Really?" Robin looked surprised at that. "Did you know them?"

"Ya, I know the kid, Robin. A lot better than you'd think." The boy wonder frowned.

"I get it if you can't tell me a lot of details. But if they have powers, aren't they in the hero circle?" Beast Boy was beginning to think that Robin wouldn't figure it out.

"Robin, the kid has powers. He's not with the Doom Patrol anymore. And yes, he's in the hero circle." Neither of them talked for a moment. Robin opened his mouth once and then shut it.

"You said he." Beast Boy nodded. "Are you… that's…" Beast Boy waited patiently for him to figure it out. Raven had gotten it faster and he was proud about that. Another minute went by until Robin started to talk. "You're the kid."

"Knew you could figure it out." Beast Boy leaned back. "Mento wouldn't put it on the records officially. Security reasons. The actual papers are in some secure vault, I'm sure." Robin looked confused.

"But, how they acted, Beast Boy that's not how parents act!" Beast Boy steeled himself for this next part.

"Robin, they didn't adopt me so they could be parents. It was either adopt me or lose me to someone else. My last guardian wasn't too nice, and despite what you think, Mento and the others aren't the assholes you make them out to be."

"So, they took you in as a pity case." Robin knew those were the wrong words to say the second they left his mouth. Beast Boy glared hard at him.

"No, Robin, they didn't. It wasn't pity. Long story short, if they didn't, I'd probably be dead. They saved me, and if ever call it a pity case again, I'll break your jaw." This time, when he walked out, Robin didn't follow him.


	2. Extent (BBxRob) Arch 1 Part 2

Author's note: Here is the second part! I think I'm going to make these stories 3 parts. So, hope you enjoy :) Read and Review if you have the time and keyboard!

* * *

Whenever he got into fights, Beast Boy tended to be the first to apologize. Part of it was that he couldn't stand to feel guilty for long periods of time, the other part was that he didn't want the same feelings he had with the DP to come over when it came to disagreements. However, this time, Beast Boy didn't feel the need to say sorry. He meant what he said, and if Robin decided he was out of line, so be it. He could take the extra patrols or training; Mento had thrown worse at him.

The others were wisely keeping out of this. They knew something had gone down and had given him and Robin a wide berth. Raven knew what happened, and that night she came in and just sat with him. She didn't try to convince him to do anything; Raven knew that he could be stubborn when he felt like it. Beast Boy knew he was being a bit unreasonable. After all, Robin didn't know the circumstances, or the Doom Patrol in general, so he wouldn't understand the reasons behind the adoption. That being said, he should have some empathy because Batman had done the same thing.

That had been close to three days now, and the boy wonder was taking care not to set him off. It was as close to groveling as Robin got, aside from pulling him aside and saying sorry. Beast Boy, on the surface, hadn't let anything show. He remained civil, and didn't really deviate from his usual patterns. But then Robin would flash him his guilty look and he'd get angry all over again. Raven stayed out of it, but Cyborg and Starfire tried to figure it out and fix it.

"Look, gel-head, whatever it is, just apologize, man."

Robin was trying. He regretted his words, but the boy wonder was never good at admitting he was wrong. Stepping outside of his meager emotional comfort zone was like asking him to go hug Slade. Starfire was helping him, but unless she knew the context of the fight, she couldn't help. Beast Boy wasn't much better, but he clearly didn't seem to be reaching out. He knew that Robin messed up, and he had told Cyborg that it wouldn't affect their friendship, but he wouldn't be the one to say sorry first. Which left the two of them currently stuck.

Raven was meditating when Robin came in and shut the door. She opened one eye and watching as he stood, almost uncomfortably, in front of her.

"I'm not a mind reader. Whatever you're thinking, spit it out." Raven didn't want to do this. She knew it was coming, and Beast Boy had warned her. She told him she could deal with it; she would defend her partner in this front. The Doom Patrol cared and Robin's words had been insulting. Her boy wasn't a pity case. Robin wilted and started to talk.

"I need your help."

"With what, Robin?" The boy looked shocked that she was leaving him to spell everything out. He recovered quickly.

"I screwed up with Beast Boy. I'm assuming you know why." Seeing that this was going to be a long conversation, Raven got out of her lotus position was gestured over to the couch.

"I'm not telling you all the details. Beast Boy told me first, not out of spite or anything like that, before you start. He trusted me and I wasn't about to lose it." Raven paused. "Do you even know how hurt he was by what you said?"

"I think I know."

"Do you? Robin, I understand that you might be a bit ticked off that he didn't tell you, but now he's thinking that he was right to keep this to himself. The Doom Patrol isn't some random bunch of asshole people; they mean something to him. And for you to call this out as a pity case made him question if it was." Raven was seething. Robin knew he was in deep trouble. He just hadn't expected it to be this bad.

"I didn't mean for that to happen. It was poorly said." He scuffed his feet. "I regret it."

"Good. Now fix it." Robin grit his teeth.

"I'm trying! But he doesn't stay in the same room as me, if I follow he shifts, and I can't have a private conversation with him without someone else popping up!" He gripped the edge of his cloak. "I want to fix this, Raven. I don't want to lose all the progress we've made." The beast incident would haunt him for the rest of his life. An unspoken event that spelled out that neither of them trusted each other as they originally thought. This couldn't be the same. He wouldn't allow it.

Raven softened her face. "I'm going to give you a friendly piece of advice. Beast Boy knows you're sorry. My advice to you is to let it be known that you want to talk and then let him come to you." She got up and stretched. "If that doesn't work, well, we still have plenty of closets. I'm sure we could shove you both in one again." Robin smiled despite himself. That was usually how they had to solve their arguments.

"I'll try that." Robin paused. "Could you mention it again that I want to talk?" Raven roller her eyes.

"I'll pass it along. Just, try not to put your foot in your mouth again, ok?" Robin knew it was her way of saying that he was running out of chances. It took two more days, plenty of pleading, until he was able to sit down with Beast Boy. The boy was clearly waiting for him to start. Oddly enough, it reminded him of all the times he had mad Starfire angry and finally realized that he was in the wrong.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said. It wasn't right and I regret it." Robin couldn't look up.

"I know, the miserable look you've been wearing for the past week was enough to show it." Beast Boy didn't need to raise his voice or sound angry. The changeling was past that. "You just found out, and I know that the DP doesn't rank high with you guys, but they aren't that bad." Robin nodded.

"Still doesn't make it right. I'd never say something like that to the others, and I shouldn't have said it to you." Robin fiddled with his gloves. "They're really lucky to have you." Beast Boy cracked a small smile at that. "Like we are."

Beast Boy looked uncomfortable for a second but then it went away. All of them knew that they cared. Hearing it made them a bit shy, having been accustomed to not hearing those types of declarations often enough.

"Now that that's out of the way," Beast Boy pressed on. "Any other questions?"

"What if I say something stupid?"

"Think of this as a free pass." Robin chuckled.

"Did it happen recently? Or right when you joined them?"

"About a year after. Mento wanted to make sure that it was secure, and Rita did too. She wanted my opinion on the whole thing." Robin looked puzzled at that. "They didn't want to rush it. Like I said before, the guy I was with wasn't the greatest." The thought of Galtry wasn't pleasant, but he dealt with it.

"Do a lot of people know?" Robin wasn't aware of other hidden adoptions like this. The team knew that Batman adopted him; maybe other teen heroes had parents in the same circle.

"A few. You and Raven are the only Titans, and I think only one or two people in the Justice League." That had been an interesting fact for everyone to learn about.

"So, are we good?" Robin asked shyly after a moment. Beast Boy laughed and nodded.

"Ya, we're good." The heavy feeling that Robin had been experiencing disappeared. The two boys made their way out to the common room, not surprised to find the rest of their family hanging out there. Cyborg was on the PlayStation, Starfire was mixing something in the kitchen, and Raven was watching from her spot at the table.

"Friends!" Starfire chirped at them. She narrowed her eyes briefly before smiling. "You are not fighting anymore!" Neither boy was prepared for the flying hug that she gave.

"Star, we need air." Beast Boy gasped out. The two of them were stronger now, but the Tameranian girl was still stronger than them, and her hugs could still bruise if she wasn't careful. Starfire let them go and dragged them into the kitchen. Raven was holding the bowl with her powers and stopped when Starfire grabbed it.

"Looks like you two are ok." Cyborg said as he walked over. It was a loaded statement, they all knew it, but Robin didn't see a reason to explain.

"We talked and fixed it." It wasn't the worse argument in the tower. Cyborg looked suspicious; Starfire just beamed at them and hugged them again. She kept that one gentle.

"Glorious! The bond of brothers is strong. If this wasn't resolved, I might have to use some of the traditional songs used to bring back the sense of comradery." Both boys, and Raven and Cyborg, hid the flinch. They loved Starfire, but her 'singing voice' wasn't the nicest, and no one wanted a giant headache or bleeding eardrums.

It was late at night when Raven felt another presence on the couch. Her boyfriend handed her a fresh cup of tea. The others had long since gone to bed.

"I see everything worked out."

"Took a while but ya, it worked out." Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Robin mentioned how you wouldn't talk to him." Beast Boy shrugged.

"I made him sweat a bit, sue me." He gave a sheepish grin and Raven rolled her eyes. She couldn't fault him for it; there was the possibility of Robin putting his foot in his mouth again. The boy blunder strikes back!

She felt a laugh pass her lips and this time Beast Boy was the one to raise his eyebrow. "Something on your mind?"

"Just thinking how Robin's nicknames make sense. Boy blunder works pretty well here." Beast Boy chuckled and leaned against her.

"He meant well, Rae, he's just terrible at showing it." Raven shifted so that both of them were comfortable. He read over her shoulder and she let him. It was pretty dark out when Robin shuffled out. The three of them were the tower insomniacs, so it wasn't odd to have them see each other every night.

"Finishing the book?" Robin asked as he grabbed a cup of coffee. Beast Boy shook his head at the beverage. The black-haired boy drank far too much of the substance, but they hadn't gotten him to stop.

"The sequel comes out next week. I wanted to reread it before then." Raven started to make herself a new cup of tea, and when she looked at him, he nodded and she pulled out a second mug.

"You could probably quote it by now." Raven snorted.

"Not likely. How many files did you do?"

"What makes you think I was doing filing?"

To Raven's credit, she tried to hold a stern face, but ended up cracking. Robin smirked, thinking he had won, but Beast Boy knew that Starfire would be yelling at him tomorrow morning at breakfast. The older boy was a workaholic, never passing an opportunity to get things done, so he couldn't tell if tonight was caused by insomnia or Robin being stubborn. The scent of coffee soon filled the kitchen, and Raven pressed a mug into his hands. It had taken him a few tries to actually like the stuff, and once he did, Raven didn't mind sharing it.

Robin didn't stay long. He lingered long enough to look at the cover of Raven's book and ruffle his hair before going back to the file room.

"I'm glad you guys made up." Raven didn't look up from her page. "It was making Cyborg and Star worry. I thought they might try to plan and stage an intervention." Beast Boy laughed as he took a sip and snuggled in closer to her. She let him as she flipped the page.

"I couldn't just let him feel bad forever." They both knew he was avoiding the obvious feelings in the room.

In the morning, Starfire did end up yelling at Robin. There weren't any more concerned glances at the two of them. The world kept spinning.


	3. Distance (BBxDP) Arch 1 Part 3

Author's note: Here we go! I know it's been a little while since I posted, but I'm back at school, so I have a limited amount of time to write in the day. This will be the last chapter for this arch. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

After each mission, they had a mandatory three days' break before going out again. Mento hated it, so he spent his time on the first day down in the archives avoiding the others. Rita would drag him out eventually, but for now all he had to deal with was mission reports. He wasn't shocked when the communicator beside him went off. His eyebrows rose when he saw who was calling. Then again, it was the end of the month, and Beast Boy was a creature of habit. Well, habits that suited him. This one was something he started after all.

"I don't know if I should be insulted that you're actually on time for things like this." Mento said after the call connected. Gar laughed and something loosened in his stomach. Privately, he always worried about his boy; being halfway around the world was a hard concept to grasp as a parent.

"It's been a slow day here. That and I'm sure some sort of war is happening in the common room, so I'm staying in the basement till it passes." It didn't sound serious. Beast Boy always told him that fights in the tower weren't bad all the time.

The differences between the two teams was striking. He had mentioned it once to Cliff, and the man had told him that maybe it was for the best. Gar needed to be around people of his own age, and the Titans weren't that bad. For the sake of the changeling, they were civil, but they couldn't do better than that. Good things aside, the Doom Patrol would always associate the Teen Titans with being the ones who took their boy away.

"What time is it anyway? Shouldn't you be resting?" Mento couldn't help the slip into leader mood. Gar laughed.

"It's a bit late to yell at me about my bedtime, isn't it?" He teased. The older man shook his head.

"No, I gave up trying a long time ago. You're almost as bad as Cliff." Both of them were laughing at this point; the metal man slept less than Mento. However, he didn't function well if he didn't sleep, whereas Mento could think straight.

"Is this a bad time? I can call again later." His boy was always trying to make sure he didn't impose on them. It wasn't a secret that they all loved to hear from him.

"No, everyone is sleeping. I can let them know that you're on the phone." Mento made a move to get up, but Beast Boy told him not to just yet. He looked surprised and sat back down in the chair.

"Not yet, I was wondering if we could talk for a minute." Beast Boy had never been one for random talks. Especially not with him. Rita was the one that got all his secrets, with Cliff coming in a close second. Mento was the one who took charge, was the stern parent. "It's nothing bad." He reassured at Steve's face.

Steve leaned back in his seat; it creaked horribly, and he made a mental note to get a new one. They had enough to spare on a decent chair. Come to think of it, the whole archive could use a remodeling. "Sounds serious." There had been a handful of times that the two of them had had a heart to heart. The last one had been years ago. With his boy being overseas, it was difficult to see him often. It had taken a lot of effort to not drag him back once they found where he was now living.

"I just wanted you know that Robin knows about the adoption." Mento seemed surprised that it had taken this long. Then again, Beast Boy was always omitting information about the Doom Patrol because he wasn't sure how it would be received. They had all been shocked when he told that girl, Raven he remembered after a moment, about the situation.

"How did it go?" Beast Boy shrugged.

"Okay, once we both got over his little screw up." Mento narrowed his eyes.

"What screw up?" The thought that someone had come after his kid had him sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Hey said something inappropriate, apologized, and we moved on. Robin tends to let his mouth run when he's learning something new." The telepath didn't like that. He wanted to know every inch of that conversation. The very idea that someone could insult his boy didn't sit well with him.

"Gar, what did he say?" Ok, he was cheating by letting a bit of the leader tone come in. However, one of the traits that both endeared and annoyed him, was that Beast Boy didn't seem to mind ignoring any type of control.

"It doesn't matter, I took care of it." Beast Boy could tell that it didn't satisfy Mento. Heaving a big sigh, and going to fiddle with the cuff of his gloves, a nervous tick Steve noticed that hadn't stopped, he explained. "Robin tends to say the first thing that comes to mind when he learns new information. Most times it's good stuff, other times it isn't. He apologized for it, and he regrets it."

"Garfield," And ya, the full name was an indication of how pissed he was at this. "What did Robin say?" There was a pause and Gar didn't look up.

"That you and Rita going through the adoption was a pity move." Steve's brain took a few moments to digest that. When he did, he saw red. Had the rest of his team been here, no doubt there would be yelling.

"I know it wasn't true!" Beast Boy rushed out. "Believe me, I told him that we had tons of conversations on it before it went through. He just didn't understand it, especially after meeting you and the others." It didn't excuse his behavior. Mento could understand the shock of learning this, but the other teen shouldn't have been surprised. Hadn't his own mentor adopted him?

"That doesn't justify it. We made it a point that we weren't taking you in for shits and giggles, Gar." He didn't swear often, and he was sure to curb any around his son. If Beast Boy was reacting to the curse, he hid it well. "Have there been any other comments like this? Any from the rest of the team?" He wouldn't let his kid be insulted like that, current teammates or not.

"No, Raven and Robin are the only ones who know." Beast Boy leaned back. "I might tell Star and Cy at some point, but not any time soon. I don't really think it's a fact that I could just blurt out at dinner."

Mento could see that conversation going well over the meal. Then again, it may go better than this last one. From what he could remember, Beast Boy and the metal guy seemed pretty close, and the alien girl had a nice personality. He shifted in the chair and held back a wince when his back popped. Forget waiting on those chairs, he was going to order some the second he got off the phone. On the same floor, a door opened.

"I think Cliff is going to come and say hi." Steve could hear the pounding footsteps. Beast Boy laughed and they weren't surprised when the door opened to show the man. Cliff paused when he saw that Steve was on the phone, but when he noticed it was their kid, he got a huge smile on his face.

"Green bean! About time you called." Steve didn't mind when Cliff pulled up another chair and took the communicator out of his hands. "Alright, everything going ok?" Despite Cliff denying it every time, he was more of a mother hen that Rita ever was.

Beast Boy endured the questioning with ease, long since used to it, and Steve was laughing quietly off to the side.

"You eating?"

"Yes, Cliff."

"Sleeping? I'm not gonna have you turn into an insomniac like Mento over there."

"I'm sleeping, Cliff. Robin wouldn't let me on the field if I wasn't."

"Good. Not injuries? How about the ones that are still healing?"

"No new ones, and the only one I have is a small gash that's already been looked at." Cliff nodded at that and ploughed on. Steve wondered when the rest of them would come in.

"Good, no one needs a trip to the medbay." And from that Cliff started a conversation that Steve didn't try to keep up with. Out of all of them, he almost imagined that Cliff missed the changeling the most. The boy was the one to bring him back after the surgery to save his life. For that, the man was understandably protective of him, and he always took the time to talk to him when they got the chance. At the urging of his friend, Steve went to collect the other members of the team. It didn't take him long.

Rita was ecstatic, asking her own questions, and then pairing up with Cliff to ask some more. Larry was a bit better, and seemed to want to know what he had been up to. Chief as well, though the man had to leave shortly after since he still had a team to run.

"The holidays are coming up," Rita said. "You should come here for a few days. If the rest of your team wants to come, they'd be welcome here." Privately, Steve knew that if Gar came, so would the Titans. There was still some distrust between both teams.

"I'll bring it up. If anything, I should still be able to visit." From there they talked about other things. Soon it was time to go, since they needed to train for a bit and it was nearing 1 am in Jump City. Long after the others had gone back to their business, Steve was still sitting holding the device in his hands. He'd never yell at the kid for not telling people. He wouldn't force him to talk about it. But there would be words towards those that tried to turn it into something that it wasn't. Steve thought.

And thought and thought, while his mind kept going back to that same idea. Gar had trusted someone with information, and they made a joke out of it. Someone had tried to hurt his kid. Steve knew he wouldn't be getting any awards for being an amazing dad, but he did take pride in the changeling. So, he picked up the communicator and started to type. It would probably start another round of fighting between both teams, but this wouldn't be swept under the rug. Well, not on his end. Gar might have forgiven Robin; Mento, however, didn't absolve him.

When he hit send, a small sense of satisfaction was left. He didn't try to get rid of it. The message wasn't long.

 _The next time you call my son a pity case will be the last. Don't make that mistake again._

Mento didn't have to wait long before a response came in.

 _I won't. It was in poor taste to call him that._

Good. You could insult the Doom Patrol, insult what they did, but the second someone went after their kid, all bets were off. Robin was lucky only he knew about it; the others wouldn't be forgiving.

 _Glad to hear it. Word of advice? Don't expect Beast Boy to keep secrets. He can't lie._ A few memories of Gar when he was younger ran through his mind and had him smiling. The only one to bend was Cliff, and that was because he cared so much for the kid since he was the first one not to go running away after seeing him.

 _I know. I'll keep his until he's ready to let the others know._ The settled it. Maybe seeing the other, younger team wouldn't be so bad after all. Certainly, not as bad as it could be.

He wouldn't tell his wife about this little incident. Rita was not merciful when it came to her son, and the others wouldn't hold their punches either. He passed Larry on his way to the training room, and when he got there, Cliff was already in the simulations. Their old routine was easy to fall into. When he finished, and picked up his communicator, he saw he had a message. At the name, his eyebrow went up.

 _He's planning on telling the others within the month. Also, Robin is being increasingly careful with his words. -_ Raven.

Mento laughed.

* * *

Author's note: The next arch is gonna be between Robin and Star. Also, if you are a RobxStar shipper...I'm sorry in advance. It's gonna get rough.


	4. Passive (RobxStar) Arch 2 Part 1

Author's note: This was hard to write, mostly since I associate these two with a happy relationship. Also, Rally (our college fundraiser) is starting, so my sleep schedule is all sort of screwed up. So, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

There are some mistakes that can't be erased. No amount of apologizing, or pleading, or straight up begging will make it better. There was a sense of doom falling on Robin as he made his way back to the tower. He was filled with anxiety, which wasn't uncommon after coming back from Gotham, but for entirely different reasons. The steering wheel was hard and unyielding in his hand, and the music coming from the radio wasn't helping. With a huff, he turned it off and got onto the ramp leading to Jump City. The sight of his home scared him.

Was it possible to smell guilt? Could you read it through someone's eyes? Robin didn't know, and he didn't want to find out. His hands trembled and he tried to focus on the road. He never ran from facing a punishment, and since Red-X years ago, he didn't keep secrets from his family. This wasn't like him impersonating a criminal. He wasn't trying to give an advantage to the other side. He made a mistake. The cost of it was still unknown. He selfishly hoped that no one was home. Maybe Cyborg went to Steel City, Gar and Raven too.

The idea of being alone in the tower with Star was terrible. He could deal with the yelling, and tears, but could he dodge a starbolt? Was his body tough enough to withstand it? There was no way of knowing. The buildings of his house should have put him at ease; all it did was make him sick to his stomach. How long before this got out? How long before everyone knew? The press had been more forgiving in the past few years, as the original titans gave over the job to younger recruits, but they still kept track of them.

The press had dragged him through the mud before, he could take it. The only opinions he cared about lived with him. He wasn't lucky enough to miss everyone. The T-Car was sitting in its usual spot, his bike and Gar's on the left. After he parked the car, Robin stayed sitting in his seat. He would take anything over this. Fighting Slade again, going down to hell, anything. There was no way he could spend his time hiding here. So, he let go of the wheel and grabbed his bag. Time to face his girl and his friends.

The ride to the main floor wasn't eventful. When he walked in, the only person there was Cyborg. He was moving around in the kitchen, but Robin could care less about what he was doing. His legs felt like lead; was this how Beast Boy felt after fighting with Raven? Probably not, since the changeling would have better sense not to do something like this. His stomach clenched when Cyborg flashed him a smile. He didn't deserve it. Not after what he had done. Not when he had lied to himself that it would never happen. Not after last night.

"Hey, man. We were wondering when you'd roll in." Cyborg said as he came closer into the kitchen.

"Ya, I forgot to call ahead. The drive back was filled with a lot of traffic." Robin was surprised that his voice gave away nothing. Maybe all those years of lying through his teeth was finally killing him. "Where's everyone else?"

"Raven and BB are out. Something about them doing a movie or whatever. She seemed excited about it though, so I didn't tease too much." Right, those two had a normal relationship. He nodded.

"Good for them, they deserve to have some alone time." His heart was racing. "Is Star here?" Cyborg smirked.

"Missed her, lover boy?" He winked; Robin felt sick. "She was in her room last I checked. Want me to call her?"

"No, I'll go up and surprise her." Then tell her what happened and rip her heart apart. Cyborg waved him off and Robin walked away like nothing was wrong. Could Cyborg sense his shame? See what he had done? Robin could still feel her, still smell her. There were small nail marks on his back. A hickey hidden under his shirt. He'd washed off the lipstick.

Starfire was just leaving her room when he got off the elevator. She lit up as she saw him. Robin tried to smile at her, but it felt like a grimace, and he wished that he could just disappear into the floor.

"Robin!" The hugs that had always been soothing to him made his stomach churn. Everything about their relationship felt wrong now. He'd made it that way. "I've missed you. How was your mission?" Starfire rambled on as she dragged him to her room, filling him in on everything. That was when it went to hell. She moved in to kiss him and he turned away. When he looked at her, she was frowning.

"Is something wrong?" His hands had started to shake. Could a human like him survive being crushed by an alien?

"Starfire," His voice was starting to shake. "I need to tell you something." He moved to push the door panel and the metal slid over quietly. Almost like a door closing in over a tomb. Starfire didn't look excited anymore and gestured to the bed. She sat down at the edge; he remained standing. The more appropriate place would be on his knees groveling, but he wasn't worth that.

"Robin, did something happen? Did something go wrong on the mission?" He shook his head.

"I love you. I do, Starfire… but this has nothing to do with the mission." Her face pinched. There was no way for her to see what he had done. "It was stressful, and I had a fight with Bruce." Just excuses that didn't matter but he promised to tell her everything. "I went out, and had too much to drink." He could never hold his alcohol. "It was a mistake."

"The drinking?" Starfire timidly asked.

"No. What happened after it."

"I…I met someone, Starfire." Those blurry images would stay; the feelings and touches would stay longer. "It was a mistake, I swear, I never meant for it to happen."

"Say it." Robin stopped. He looked up to see Starfire's eyes cold. Her hands were gripping the comforter of the bed tightly. "Say it out loud. What did you do with this person?"

"I slept with her. I had too much to drink and I had sex with her." Starfire nodded along. Her breath hitched.

"It is my understanding that when someone in a relationship does this, it is called cheating."

When the team was in the early years, Starfire would often have long talks with Raven all about earth culture. Soon it had expanded to the rest of them teaching her. This was one of the few pieces that Robin knew she had learned and hoped would never be seen in context.

"Ya, it is." Starfire fidgeted on the bed.

"When did it happen?"

"Last night."

"Did you like it?" Robin felt sick.

"No, Star, she wasn't you." Her gaze was empty.

"That isn't what I meant." She wiped away at her face. "Get out. Just get out of here."

"Star, please, it didn't mean anything!" Robin begged. She shook her head.

"You say that, but it doesn't get rid of the fact that it happened." Those bright green eyes he loved were gone now. "I believe you still care, but I can't look at you right now. I need you to leave."

"Please, Starfire, I- "

"You had sex with her!" She screamed. "I know that you have many issues with intimacy and trust, I have been patient, so patient and kind, and you slept with her! We've been together three years, and you slept with a stranger before me!"

Robin didn't want to have sex with her yet. Even with the alcohol, it didn't excuse him. He said he wanted to wait, and Starfire had agreed. Told him that she was ok with it. But this… he couldn't expect her to be ok with this. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Had he had any powers, he'd melt through the floor. Anything to get away from the look his girlfriend (ex-girlfriend?) was sending him.

"There is nothing more to say to you right now. I admire the fact that you told me before this became a secret," Robin didn't bother to hide his wince. "But, I cannot look at you. Get out."

"I'll stay in my room, I won't- "

"Get out of the tower."

Robin went numb. In all the years of being together, all the fights, Starfire had never told him to the leave building. The floor or room, yes, but never their home altogether. Not even Beast Boy, with all his fights with Raven, had been sentenced to this.

"Star, please, I won't try to talk to you until you're ready." Bruce told him once that good men don't beg. Robin never said he was a good man. Starfire stood up. Tears were pouring down her face.

"I can't look at you. I do not want you in the tower right now. You may go to a motel, or Steel City, or even back to Gotham. It doesn't matter. Just get out."

"When can I come back?" His voice was shaky. Starfire looked through him.

"I'll send someone to get you." Like a dog. He didn't try to make her rethink this. She wanted him gone and he couldn't deny her. "And Robin?" He was inches from the door, maybe there was hope.

"You can tell the others where you have gone and why." The door closes and Robin feels like he's free-falling. The walk back to the garage takes twice as long. He memorizes all the details in case he's never allowed back.

X

He doesn't run into Cyborg. Raven and Gar aren't back yet, which is a relief, so he quickly tosses his stuff into the passenger seat and leaves. He makes it ten minutes into the city before the reality of what he's doing hits him. Starfire kicked him out. She wants him out so she doesn't have to see him.

There isn't room for him to break down. Not now. He thinks about where he could go, and before long, the car is back on the highway. He won't go to Gotham, perhaps never again, but Steel City might be ok. Even if he doesn't pop in at the Titans East tower, he could still grab a hotel room. The thought sparks more hazy memories, and he almost drives out of his lane. So, hotels are out. Maybe a discrete motel. It doesn't matter, it's not home, and his girl isn't there. God, how is he going to fix this?

It's clear, in the next few hours, that things back home have gone from normal to awful. His friends have always been perceptive. Raven's grasp of emotions, Gar's knack for detecting a lie, and Cyborg for observing and deducing, it wouldn't have taken long for them to put two and two together. His inbox fills slowly. It's Cyborg first, asking where he went. Then Raven asking why Starfire won't answer her question. Gar is the first one to actually call him, and then leaves a message telling him to call back. The changeling's voice is even… Robin feels awful.

With nothing else to do, he drives to the tower. His access card goes through, and Speedy looks surprised to see him there. Normally it's Cyborg coming to visit, or on other long weekends, Gar. One look at his face and Speedy knows something is up.

"You kill someone?"

"No."

"Alright, I just need to know in case I get called in." The archer doesn't ask any more questions. The rest of the team doesn't either, but Robin knows that they're trying to figure out the story. He dreads when they do figure it out. Speedy seems relaxed about everything.

"Did you fight with someone? Not to sound rude, man, but you hardly ever come out to our neck of the woods." The guilt doubles and Robin knows he's being an ass. He's never taken an interest to come out here since the tower went up years ago. He hardly reached out to invite them to their own tower. That fell on the others. Now, this is one of the few places he can go.

"Yes." He won't lie about this. "It's… I screwed up." His eyes are burning. "I really screwed up, Speedy, and I don't know how to fix it."


	5. Spoke (RobxStar) Arch 2 Part 2

Author's Note: So, someone asked how old Robin and Starfire would be in this. I'm thinking early 20's. Enjoy guys, and if you're in the New England area, stay warm and safe from all this snow :)

* * *

Starfire knew there was no correct way for her to feel right now. Emotions weren't hard for her to feel, just hard to name. When Raven had her heart broken it was anguish. Beast Boy had called it grief. Cyborg had claimed love, once, but spoke no more of it. She had hope with Robin, that she could be happy with him. But not this, never this. She stayed in her room. The drapes weren't her target, so she merely sat on the edge of her bed, wondering what to do. How would she, would _they_ , get through this betrayal?

She didn't know where Robin had gone. There was an ache in her chest, and she found herself not caring where he ended up. For tonight, it didn't matter. At that moment, her room seemed too small and she left. The halls were empty, and she stuck to the shadows. The desire to get out of her room outweighed the desire to see her friends. No doubt that the conversation about this would be ugly. Especially since nearly all of them, with the exclusion of Cyborg, dealt with betrayal from someone who claimed to care for them. It was painful.

Her feet took her to the common room anyway. It was quiet, not in the relaxing way, and her friends were sitting on the couches. Raven took one look at her face before coming over and hugging her. That was it. The tears that she been holding back for so many hours finally came pouring out. She didn't make a sound. The same couldn't be said for Raven.

"I'm sorry, Starfire." Her voice was gentle. It took years of knowing the empath to know the sentiment behind it. "Whatever he did…" Raven trailed off. They didn't know. Robin had fled, and let her with the job of telling the others. He had the guts to tell her, which was admirable despite the situation, but not their family.

"He betrayed my trust." It was as simple as that. She couldn't see them coming back from this right now. Not when the wound was too fresh.

"Is that why he left? He's not answering our calls." Robin was hiding somewhere. The guilt was probably eating him alive. She didn't feel sorry about that. Let him feel that pain. Any yet, someone out there was comfortable with the acts he had committed with her.

"He left because I told him to leave." She didn't think she had ever given an order like that. It certainly had never been to a member of the team. "We should sit. I do not want to tell this story twice." Raven sat beside her on the couch. Cyborg was anxious and Gar was watching it all from the other couch.

"Star, what happened?" Cyborg sounded frustrated. Almost as if Robin was leaving some valuable piece of information out. Had the two spoken before he had left? "Robin just took off; did he get called away to a mission again?"

A harsh laugh comes out of her mouth. It was a mission that caused all of this. She sees Raven flinch out of the corner of her eye. Perhaps this is a rare time that any of them have seen her in this much anguish.

"I sent him away because he put his trust in someone else. He betrayed our relationship, so I told him to leave the tower so I didn't have to look at him right now." The resulting silence just spurs on her tears. "I don't know where he went and I don't care either."

The scary part was it was true. At this moment, she really didn't care where he went and wasn't in any rush to try and find out. Cyborg leaned back against the arm of the couch.

"Star, when you meant by him betraying your relationship…" He looked pained. Starfire closed her eyes.

"He slept with someone else. The word in your culture is cheating, I believe." On her home planet, one could be killed for breaking such a bond. The acts of flesh were something privileged, not just a thing to give away. "I didn't want to see him after."

None of her friends said anything for a moment. When she opened her eyes, the expressions on their faces ranged. Raven seemed shocked, Gar looked worried for her, and Cyborg had a murderous expression. The bionic eye was a bright red. Would he try to hunt the team leader down? Then she realized how badly this effected the team. Robin had lost her trust and respect, but had he lost it in the rest of their little family? There hadn't been such an event like this since Red-X, and that had been years ago. It took a long time to recover from it.

"Let me get this straight," Cyborg said. His voice was deceptively calm. "He comes back from this mission, goes to see you, tells you he cheated, and then you kick him out." After Starfire confirms it, and storms to the bay windows. Raven seems a bit taken back by his behavior; Gar doesn't look fazed by it, and Starfire is glad that someone has a handle on him. She can't try to help anyone with their emotions when her own are so out of whack.

"I thought it would be best for him to leave the tower for a while." Raven gently rubbed her back. Starfire hunched over, as if she was trying to curl in within herself, and she was suddenly jealous of Gar's ability to disappear in a second. In the kitchen, something shattered, and Starfire looked up to see Raven taking a deep breath. She was surprised that it took this long for the empath to lose control. "I didn't think of how this would affect us on the field. If needed, I will call for him to come back."

"We have others that will gladly step in." Cyborg spat. "Let him go for now." Gar got up and Starfire didn't bother to follow him. He came back a moment later with a box of tissues. She gave him a watery smile and he took her free side on the couch. "I'll give Kid Flash and Jinx a call if we need more help. I think we'll be ok, we handled this week pretty well with four people."

"Did he say why he did it?" Raven asked after the silence became too much. Starfire fiddled with the tissue.

"He said he had too much to drink. That it didn't mean anything." Starfire chocked back a sob. "I have waited and respected him for years, and all it takes for him to let his guard down is a mission in another city with someone who isn't me."

"He told you right away." Gar started. Cyborg spun around.

"You're defending him?" He hissed. Gar narrowed his eyes.

"No, I'm stating that unlike other situations where Robin did something stupid, it didn't take days or weeks for him to confess. If he's feeling guilty, it shows that he still cares about Star and their relationship." The idea that any of them would cheat on their partner was absurd.

"This isn't the same as those other times."

"Isn't it? When he was Red-X, it was because he didn't trust any of us. This time, he does something stupid again, because he didn't trust Star. Robin makes mistakes when his faith in something is lacking." Both boys were glaring at each other. How odd it was to have the situation was flipped; usually it was her defending the boy wonder. This time, Gar had taken up his cause, not her, and she wasn't helping him. Every moment of this was making her heart hurt. Raven held her more firmly.

"I don't wish to talk about this anymore." Starfire whispered as she got up. She brushed off Raven's hands and stumbled into the hall. The weight of what happened hit her and she crumpled. Sagging against the wall, she sobbed. She never thought this would happen. The sound of footsteps came about. Raven helped her to the floor and pulled her close. The tears poured down, hot and fast, and she couldn't stop. Raven didn't tell her to stop, or to be quiet, or what would happen next. She just held her. There was nothing left to say to her.

X

That morning, Robin, for the first time in years, didn't get out of bed at the crack of down. He hid under the blanket and tried not to think about awkward he felt in this room. Bumble Bee had said he was welcome here, and didn't ask questions, but she had plenty. The need to go home was a constant ache. Starfire hadn't answered his calls, nor had the others after a certain hour, and Robin felt alone. He didn't expect to hear from Starfire. The fact that his friends hadn't responded yet was worrying. More than worrying, really.

A knock had him sprinting for the door. He must have been a sight to see, hair out of order, clothes a mess, a wild look in his eyes. The mask hid the fact that he had been crying. Speedy was standing on the other side.

"You've got a guest downstairs." Robin swiped his communicator off the table and rushed to put on his shoes.

"Who is it?"

"Not your girl, that's for sure."

Beast Boy was down in the main entrance. There was a box with him. He looked at Robin with a blank expression. They both stared at each other.

"Are you here to yell at me?" Robin asked dully. Beast Boy continued to look at him.

"I think Starfire yelling at you and you beating yourself up is enough." He gestured to the box to his left. "Starfire threw some stuff together for you. Enough for a week. Then she wants you to come back."

"I'm surprised she didn't send everyone."

"Raven is keeping an eye on her. Cyborg is too pissed to talk to you right now." Robin stared at his feet.

"Aren't you mad?" The lack of feeling in his voice was evident; the past few hours had drained him of any concern that wasn't for Starfire and what was left of their relationship.

"That's a stupid question, Rob. The only reason I'm not kicking your ass right now is because you're doing a better job than any of us would have." The changeling nudged the box with his foot. "Like I said, enough clothes for a week. I would avoid calling her, she blocked your number for the time being." Robin felt his eyes watering again.

"What if there's trouble and she needs me?" Beast Boy shrugged.

"We called in reinforcements. Starfire needs this." He looks sadly at Robin. "Actually, I think both of you might need it. She needs to think if this is something she still wants, and maybe she wants you to sit here and go crazy." He shrugs. "This is between you and her. The rest of us are just trying to keep the peace." A private war then. Robin was used to tackling problems on his own, but the lack of support from his friends worried him.

"It was a mistake." He whispers. One stupid mistake. He jumped when two arms circle him, and then he collapses into them.

He fully expects Beast Boy to push him away. That doesn't happen; his friend was never known for denying comfort, even when it would have been warranted. Robin doesn't know how long they stay there. When he finally let's go, ages later, his face is wet. Crying again, in front of a teammate, this mess has left him all out of sorts.

"I know it was, and so does everyone else," Beast Boy pauses. "It just was one hell of a mistake to make." That's it. Robin screwed up. He goes to pick up the box of his personal belongings.

It isn't long before he's left alone again. He tries to be useful, but it's obvious that he's hurting, so Speedy tells him that running off steam in the gym might be a good idea. He doesn't make it that far; he hides in an empty hallway and sobs quietly. For a person trained by the Bat, he doesn't have a clue of how to solve this. He looks at his communicator. He might be blocked, but maybe she would look at the messages anyway. The sound of her voice on the answering machine has him crying all over again.


	6. Ion (RobxStar) Arch 2 Part 3

Author's note: Hello! Ok, first off, this isn't ending happy. Just gonna get that out of the way. Also, these are getting super fun to write. So, read, enjoy, and review :)

* * *

That week was the slowest in Robin's life. It didn't hit him till he was driving home that he had the biggest challenge of his life ahead of him. Repairing Starfire's trust in him was going to be hard, even harder to repair what was left of his relationship. His friends were another matter, and Robin wasn't even sure where he stood with them. Cyborg didn't talk to him; Raven and Beast Boy messaged or called him at least once a day. Robin couldn't read how pissed they were beyond that. The drive back felt like an eternity. Then it ended.

Raven was the one to greet him on the common room floor. Cyborg was in the gym, and she warned him not to go seeking the man out. Starfire was also out of the tower and had taken Beast Boy with her. Robin knew that she was avoiding him, he expected the feelings of being shunned, he just didn't think that it would be between him and the whole team.

"Starfire wants the company." Raven told him when he said that. "She wanted Gar to go with her, he said yes. Keep in mind that we're going to support you both, no matter the outcome."

"What if we break up? If it's over because of what I did?" Robin wondered. That was the question that had been plaguing him since he came back from Gotham. There was a possibility that he couldn't fix this.

"Then you seperate as well as possible, and move on." Raven gave him a sad smile. "You're our friend Robin, and this is between you and Starfire. Like I said, we'll support both of you." Robin scowled.

"Cyborg isn't showing much support." Raven glared at him.

"He's angry at the situation. Just let him vent, Rob."

The rest of the day was spent in the office, catching up on work, and to avoid any tense conversations he skipped dinner. It seemed that none of his friends wanted him to starve, so Raven visited him again with a sandwich; later that night, Beast Boy came by with a cup of coffee. It went that way for the next few days. There weren't any calls. His interaction with people was limited to Raven and Beast Boy. Raven gave him the bare minimum, while Beast Boy seemed more inclined to sit and talk. Robin mostly tried to keep busy.

On day eight, not that he was keeping count, he finally got to see his girl. Starfire looked tired. Her eyes were duller, and the dark circles under them didn't make him feel better. She stood awkwardly in the doorway, and Robin was reminded that the last time she had done that was when he told her that he was Red-X. He remained sitting on his chair, too stunned to move, and too scared to move towards her.

"I see you got back safely." She said. Robin nodded.

"I waited until you called me back." He wanted her to know. "I thought about what happened a lot. About how… stupid it was. You have every right to be angry, and not want to forgive me." He took a deep breath. There were no tears left in him at this point. "If you want to break up, ok. Just… just don't send me away again. Please." The thought of leaving again was agonizing. He wouldn't survive another blow like that.

"The past week I have been thinking on how we should proceed." Starfire said. "I still care for you. What you did, whether it was your intention or not, can't be ignored." She walked into the room and took a seat on the open space on the desk. "I think a break would be good. We may both examine our relationship and decide how we are to go forward or part ways." Robin couldn't hope for anything more.

"Ok, we can go on a break."

"We need to tell the others. They'll ask questions." She wasn't looking at him. Robin wondered how long it took her to come to this decision.

"When do you want to tell them?"

"Sooner would be preferable. I'd rather not have any rumors flying about."

They agreed on telling everyone at dinner. After Starfire left, Robin was faced with the reality that he would be in the same room as everyone for the first time in days. The possibility that Cyborg might actually succeed in killing him was a bit concerning, and Robin wasn't sure if anyone would step in to stop him. Or, on the other hand, step in and help the android. Neither option was a good one. As the clock ticked closer and closer to dinner, Robin felt the feeling of death get more intense. Then it was time for him to go.

Dinner was a stifled affair. Cyborg glared at him the whole time; the only one to get him to stop was Beast Boy. Raven maintained a civil conversation, to the best of her ability, but it was a hard task for her. Then Starfire looked at him.

"I appreciate how all of you have allowed Robin and I to discuss our relationship in private." She picked at her napkin. Her voice was even, just like her hands that weren't trembling. "We have both decided to take some time apart as a couple. It will not affect our field capabilities or the team formation."

The next moment was pandemonium.

Cyborg was on his feet stalking towards him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He yelled. Robin got up as well; his chair fell backwards behind him with a loud thud. "What kind of moron drinks while on a mission? What kind of idiot does that?"

"I do not have to explain it to you. Starfire's opinion is the one that matters."

"People have opinions on this, Robin." Beast Boy had come to push Cyborg back. Robin hadn't even noticed how close they were getting. A fist fight could happen in the kitchen between them.

"As I just said," Robin said as evenly as he could. "Star's opinion is the one that matters." Beast Boy looked at him while keeping one hand in the middle of Cyborg's chest.

"There's already rumors flying around, Robin. People are going to ask questions about the change in your dynamic. Plus, with how we all act around each other, it won't take long for anyone to notice a change." The changeling was right. People would notice.

"You just love screwing up things, don't you?" Cyborg sneered. Raven got up at this point.

"Alright, everyone needs to calm down now."

"No, he needs to hear this. Every time he's hurt her, or any of us, we held our tongue because we saw how sorry he was. Well, guess what? I'm sick of it." Cyborg rants. He turns away from Raven and looks straight at him. "She cried every day after you left. When she finally told us what happened, she had to leave because the reality of what you did tore her up. You better hope the girl you did it with doesn't come out of the woodwork and talk about this, or we'll have another problem on our hands."

Robin hadn't even thought about what could happen if the woman talked about their encounter. Granted, they hadn't given names, but she could recognize him from pictures or the news. Bruce would kill him for the security risk or nasty media.

"She won't say anything."

"And how would you know that?" Raven asked him. Robin opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. "You don't know that she would keep this to herself. You also don't know if she would sell this tidbit to some news story or blackmail you."

"Why did you have to go out that night?"

That was the golden question. If he didn't go out, he wouldn't have gotten drunk. Wouldn't have walked up to the bar for another drink. Wouldn't have noticed the girl next to him. Wouldn't have let her feel him up, lead him out, lead him to a bed that wasn't his. If he had done his job, had stayed in the manor like he was supposed to, then none of this would have happened. Or maybe it still would have regardless of the place and time. All it took was one choice and it was all over for Dick Grayson.

"I don't know." Robin's voice was flat. "I made a bad call, and I'll be paying for it for the rest of my life. You don't get to judge me for that. There's only one person here that can, and it isn't you Cyborg." He could feel Starfire's eyes boring into his back. Raven had traded places with Beast Boy, and the red head was curled into his side. Cyborg didn't back down. None of their fights had ever ended well, and with how this one was going, it didn't look like it would be ending anytime soon with good results.

"Both of you need to step out. Go, get it out of your systems. Hopefully when this is all done, you can talk like mature adults." Cyborg grit his teeth.

"Fine, B, let's go."

"I want him to stay." Star's voice was so tiny. She didn't look up from the changelings shoulder. "Raven will make sure you do not hurt each other too severely."

"Whatever, let's go, boy wonder." If Cyborg had superpowers, he'd likely be using them to kick Robin's ass. Raven herded them away. The other two didn't look at them as they passed. Robin kept walking.

The following hour was filled with fists, yelling, and more bruises then Robin could count. It wasn't uncommon for in house fights to happen; one of this scale hadn't happened in years. Raven watched them from the wall, not interfering, but also separating them when it got too rough.

"She loves you," Cyborg said after a punch. "She _fucking loves you_ and you go and do this to her. That girl has given more of herself than you ever did." Robin spit some blood out of his mouth.

"I know I screwed up!" Robin exploded. "I won't ever forget it. And ya, this might get worse, or it won't. Maybe Star will leave me, or maybe we'll find a way to fix this. I don't know, Cyborg." All the fight went out of him. A week of waiting, crying, and wondering what would happen next left him with little self-preservation. It was by instinct that Robin dodged the swing; he knew Cyborg wasn't really in it, since the punch was half-hearted.

"This is going to affect more than just you two, you know?" Cyborg said. "All of us… we care about you both. And watching you do this to her…"

The sad thing was that Robin understood it. This little ragtag team, which was practically family at this point, loved one another fiercely. And they protected each other just as strong, even from current members. Robin wouldn't have expected less. Had this happened to someone else, he'd be just as pissed.

"If you two can restrain yourself for a few minutes," Raven interjected. "I need to step out for a moment." She eyed them both. "Please don't kill each other." Robin sat down on the floor; Cyborg looked at him and said nothing.

"Am I going to be able to fix this?"

Cyborg didn't speak right away. He looked at the ground and then came over to sit next to him. Robin didn't rush him; he just felt tired. Strung out and tried from everything that had happened. He couldn't imagine how Starfire was feeling.

"I don't know, man. She still cares about you, everyone can see that, but you really did a number on her." Cyborg looked at him this time. "Even if you guys fix this, she's not going to trust you as she did before." The unspoken 'other times' came to mind. One step forward, two back.

"Maybe I should leave, give her some space." Robin suggested. Cyborg gripped his shirt and yanked him to his knees.

"No. you already had your little pity party. She sent you out, then called you back. If you want this to work, or even try to fix this, you need to be here. Show her that you aren't going to block yourself off from everyone like before." Robin's eyes burned. "If you still cared about Starfire, even a little, then you need to be here."

"I still love her." Robin said as the tears slipped out.

"Ok," Cyborg replied. "Ok."


	7. Diary (BBxMento) Arch 3 Part 1

Author's Note: I've always been fascinated with the relationship between BB and Mento. This arch is based off of another story I did, When the worst happens, and shows Mento's side of things. So, hope you enjoy! Read and review please :)

* * *

Mento hadn't had a drink in years. Since taking up the Doom Patrol, he stopped. Rita had helped, watching him at events, making sure to remind him if he got a craving. Once Gar came only, he made sure that not a drop of alcohol was in the house. Now, with his wife gone and his son across the country, it was getting harder and harder to keep that habit. The house was quiet. Some nights, he blasted music at unreasonable levels just to block out his own thoughts. It didn't work. These days, the manor was always so quiet.

Chief had retired to a small little costal town, wanting to get away from the crime business. Not that Steve could blame him; after _that accident,_ he wouldn't want to stick around either. The manor was his home, even if he was the only soul inhabiting it. The other man checked in once a week to keep in touch. It was more than Steve deserved. He looked at the phone again. There had already been one called placed to the titan base, and he doubted his son would answer any future ones. Three weeks had passed since they all died.

Gar hadn't tried to communicate with him since he went back to California. Robin had answered the phone last time he called, only to tell him that if Gar wanted to talk to him he would on his own time, and not a moment sooner. It was times like these that he wished he had better connections with the other team. It was doubtful that any of them would help him contact his son. At least he didn't have any direct contact with them while he was in the hospital. Chief said they tended to stay close to his boy.

As much as he disliked the Titans, they looked after his kid when he couldn't. Which ended up being the past five years. There were no 'Parent of the Year' awards for Steve Dayton. Shaking his head, he left the room, trying to get his mind off the phone. The urge to call again was too strong. He found a mess in one of the rooms and focused on organizing it. The work went slow, as his wounds were healing, and he didn't want to return the hospital anytime soon. However, no one could force him to go back now.

He wandered the hall aimlessly, not having a thing to do, and a mind going too fast for him to keep up with. Grief was eating him alive. He didn't clean out of the rooms. Rita's things were still in their room; Steve couldn't bring himself to sleep there at night. Not that he slept much. The counselor he had to see when he was discharged said that it wasn't uncommon to experience insomnia when dealing with loss. That same counselor was supposed to see him once a week. He couldn't bring himself to go after that first initial visit.

Steve wondered if his son was suffering in the same way. Was he pacing up and down the halls? Thinking of the last words he said to his family? He sure was. He had told Rita that he would see her in the kitchen after he submitted this last report. Told Cliff to check on the engines of the jet. Told Larry to go with him incase Cliff needed help. Meaningless words. He had failed these people, and with it, his son and himself. The Doom Patrol was nothing now. The League mentioned having him pick new candidates. He couldn't.

Several people in the community had already come forward asking for a position. Steve had told them that at this time he wasn't looking to recruit. He couldn't stomach the thought of new people, strangers, entering the manor and living here. Possibly taking the rooms that housed his family. Worse, he felt that Chief and Gar, the only people left, deserved a say on who to put under the Doom Patrol name. That conversation would be in the distant future; he couldn't have it if his son never answered his calls or replied to his messages. Steve kept on trying.

It was around four in the morning when he finally tried himself out. Passing out on the couch was the new normal for him, and he didn't know if he should be worried that sleeping there didn't hurt as much as it usually did. Maybe he was too numb to feel any aches or discomfort. Meals were another thing he avoided. The thought of food made him sick, and actually eating it made him imagine ash in his mouth. There had been so much ash from the explosion. Water was bearable. He was craving something stronger to deal with this.

There was no one stopping him from going out and buying a bottle of alcohol. Not anyone who cared. However, the idea of going outside and speaking to someone was hard. He didn't like human contact much these days. The several panic attacks in the hospital when one of the nurses tried to touch him left him with the notion of secluding himself. His therapist had mentioned that it was important to keep himself open to people, so he could be offered support, and not feel so alone during this difficult time.

Chief had left.

Gar had left him again.

He couldn't blame them for leaving. Chief had put up with him for years before this. Gar had escaped the certain brand of chaos and destruction associated with the Doom Patrol before being pulled back in. Steve was constantly pushing and pulling people away. Now, there was no one left. He went to the sink for a glass of water. At the first sip, he felt the bile at the back of his throat, so he dropped the glass and leaned over the sink, heaving. When it passed, he was sobbing. He just wanted this to end. He wanted peace.

The floor was cold when he dropped onto it. Wrapping his arms around his stomach, as if that could hold him together, Steve fell apart. There was no other word for it. Sobbing, screaming, in as close to the fetal position as he could get, the former leader cracked. His calf hit a piece of broken glass; Steve registered the pain but couldn't be bothered to check it. The pain was the only sign that he could still feel anything. He begged for anything, death or relief, but it didn't come. This was a deep hole; he couldn't climb out.

Steve didn't know if he passed out or cried himself to sleep. His back was aching from spending so long on the floor and the air was thick with the smell of blood. His pants were ruined and the white tiles, that Rita had loved, were stained red. The glass wasn't imbedded too deep in his leg, so he simply pulled it out. There wasn't a register of pain. Maybe he was losing it. The man with mental powers finally losing his mind. Would his next stop be to the psych ward? That brought up another dark memory once forgotten.

They had been fighting another telepath, and the guy screwed around in his head. It got bad enough where the others that he might do harm to one of them; personally, he believed they thought he'd go after Rita or Gar, and that's why they put him in confinement. He stayed in the ward for close to a month, and was supervised for weeks. Since then, he made it a point never to go back there. It's also where his aversion to therapists came in. Those topics made him feel all kinds of sick, and not in the physically way.

He rinsed his leg off and left the blood for now. He shuffled over to the couch and collapsed, face first, into the cushions. They didn't smell like the fabric softener that Rita used anymore, and that made his throat tighten. He wished he listened and didn't press to go on that mission. Chief had warned him. Curling up, Steve stared blankly at the TV. The remote was lost somewhere; he had thrown it during one of his rages. That was fine. He didn't want to watch anything. He didn't need the noise. The silence pressed down on him slowly.

The manor had always been quiet, save for when Gar had lived here. It was probably the hardest thing to get used to again. Every room was quiet, empty. Steve wondered if he could go somewhere else. There were cities around the area, and his face hadn't been shown to the general public. Then, he got a different idea. The states were a good place to hide; lots of cities, and the news was easy to get. Hell, California was a huge state, they wouldn't mind one more person. Legs trembling, Steve tried to sit up, then he tried standing.

It took much longer to make it to the bathroom, even longer to get cleaned up and dressed in clothes that didn't look like a crime scene. Then he walked to his bed and picked up the phone. Much to his nature, Chief picked up on the first ring.

"It hasn't been a week yet, has it?" Chief asked.

"I want to go to the States." Steve rasped out. "I won't go near Jump, but I need to leave here for the time being. Is that an option?" He wasn't aware of how awful his voice sounded on the phone.

"Steve, he told you not to seek him out."

"I'm not going to. There are other cities in California, I can pick one. I won't tell him that I'm close, I just can't stand to be here right now." Chief didn't talk for a few minutes.

"I'll see if there are any apartments for rent a few towns away from Jump. It'll take a few days." Chief said. "Are you going to try and fix things with Gar?"

"I want to." Steve whispered. He had pushed his son away for too long. "I want to fix this problem between us."

"Do you think that you can fix it?" Chief asked. "He made it pretty clear not to contact him anymore. I also think that his team is taking his words seriously as well." The Titans would be another hurdle; Steve knew that he'd have to convince them before he could see his son. Hopefully they would be receptive.

"I need to try. I need to know if there is any chance of fixing this." Steve was stubborn. He wouldn't stop trying. Even after he had lost everything.

"I'll see what I can do. Until then, stay put in the manor."

Translation: don't do anything stupid until I can find another reason to convince you to stay in the manor or until I actually find a place that is close enough but far enough away that Gar wouldn't find it. Steve hung up and let the room. The smell of Rita's perfume was beginning to get to be a bit overwhelming. The couch was once again his refugee. He picked the non-blood stained one. Perhaps the stains would still come out. That was a problem for another day. He drifted off. It wasn't near sleeping, but it was a close as he could get these days.

The room was dark when he woke up again. Maybe it was nighttime. Time was a concept that had escaped him. Hours, minutes, those things didn't matter as much to him. Funny, how before all this every second was accounted for. Now, he couldn't spend a minute doing a single task before he broke down. He shuffled over to the kitchen, noticed the stain, and began to track down a mop and some cleaner. He scrubbed the spot, then decided the whole floor needed to be done, and spent the next hour working on it.

Chief didn't call that day. Steve wasn't worried. He knew what he was asking, what he was planning on doing, was outside of his comfort zone. He had never ran after someone; he was always the one pushing people away. Out of curiosity, he scanned the news for any clues on how his boy was doing. He didn't find much, since you couldn't trust the tabloids to get all the details right. Then he started to look around Jump City. He never asked Gar what the place was like. Perhaps they wouldn't be on opposite ends of the world anymore.


	8. Infection (BBxMento) Arch 3 Part 2

Author's Note: Hello internet travelers! Spring break is underway, and I'm firmly denying any homework. This is becoming a lot of fun to write. So, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

It took almost a month before Steve got on a plane and left for California. He didn't expect the heat, or the level of noise, but it was a welcome change. The apartment wasn't anything to brag about; Steve didn't care about that, it served its purpose. The best part? He was roughly 45 minutes from Jump City. He wanted to go into the city, finally see the place that his son was protecting. Chief had made him promise not to. At least, not until some more time had passed. Gar still didn't know he had moved closer to him.

There was a set of rules for Steve to follow in order to stay. He had to keep out of Jump City until Gar knew and he had permission. He needed to see a S.T.A.R. Labs recommended psychologist. Chief hadn't been oblivious about him missing the sessions and made it clear that it wouldn't be happening anymore. Steve needed to figure out this mess and actually talk about his emotions. Thankfully, no one noticed him. He still had a holo ring just in case, but so far, he didn't need to pull it out. Chief checked in every day now.

Today was no exception.

"You need to go, Steve. The appointment is at 11, and the building is in walking distance. I'm not going to argue with you about this again. Either you go, or I'm dragging your ass back here." Chief hadn't gotten his nickname for nothing. The air of authority, that Steve used to possess and was absent now, came out steady and clear. "I want you to start improving. Granted, staying in the manor probably wasn't helping, and you obviously needed to grieve. I won't let you get away with another downward spiral again, Steve, I won't."

"Do I really have to go see this shrink?" Steve grumbled. Chief launched into another tirade, and Steve had to listen. Granted, the past few weeks had been slightly better, he still wasn't ok. Not that he would admit that to anyone. Especially not some guy whose job was to screw around in his head. That was Steve's job, and he didn't like to hand over control to someone else.

"You're going, Steve. If this plan actually works and you get to see Gar, he needs to know that you are actively making changes on how you express certain things."

"Don't tell me how to approach my son, Chief." Steve hissed. Chief huffed across the line.

"I'm not telling you. I'm informing you. Also, you might be getting a visitor soon."

"What kind? Did you tell the freaking doctor to come to the apartment?" Chief laughed.

"No, I figured that you wanted to be discrete." There was a pause. "I had to let Robin know, Steve." His stomach dropped. That was it, he was never seeing his son again. The Titans wouldn't let him come within a thousand feet of him.

"Why would you do that? How could you?" Steve asked. Any hopeful feelings that were present were gone now.

"I need someone else to hold you responsible. And, despite what you think, the majority of them want to help fix your relationship."

"Right, I never saw them. How can I believe that?"

"It's not unlike me believing that you can pull you head out of your ass and see that you son still cares. He might not call you, but he always asks about you when we talk. It's obvious he's concerned, but he has every right to wary now." Chief stated this all fact for fact to him.

Gar learned from past mistakes. Clearly, Steve was one of those mistakes now. He wondered what his boy was up to, what else they talked about when he wasn't there. There were so many questions and Steve didn't have answers for any of them. "Steve, you still there?"

"He asks about me?" His voice came out too weak for his liking.

"Yes. It's always the first thing he does when we talk. Granted, I can't give him all the details, since I moved out, but I think it helps."

"When did they reach out to you?" The 'they' meaning Titans.

"A couple of weeks ago. Robin mentioned how you had been calling and Gar refusing to answer. I think he wanted to let us know that, should we every try to get in contact with him, they would answer. Gar just might not be willing to talk." Chief explained to him. "Honestly, Steve, I think you need their help. They know him better than we do at this point. Plus, you're in their turf now. They set the rules."

"Seems like everyone is setting rules but Gar and I."

"Gar choosing to willingly follow a set of rules, really, Steve?"

"Well, I can still hope." Steve never meant to turn his boy into a solider. Turns out, Gar didn't want that either. "How much longer is this going to go on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hiding, not talking to him?" Steve yelled. "I can't see my boy, Chief, and I know that this is probably killing him just like it is me. The Titans might have told you they want our relationship to be fixed, but they sure aren't pounding down the door to help." He was pacing the length of the kitchen again. So much for keeping his cool.

"Jesus, Steve, you haven't made it easy for them. They can try to help you if you haven't been approachable or even interesting to talking to them. Gar is the only link they have to us, and right now I doubt he's giving them advice." Chief was calm, probably since the two of them had always butted heads. Arguing was an old pastime for them; it was almost a relief to have a single constant in this mess. "Look, go to your appointment. Then call me. I'll try to get the ball rolling, see if that helps us here, ok?"

The call ended quickly after that and Steve went about the apartment, finding odd things to do, before it was time to leave. No one in the town noticed him, which was a relief. There was no one in the office when he got there. The receptionist told him to wait for his name to be called. If you looked at the building, anyone might think it was a regular office space. Not even ten minutes had passed before he was let into the back room. The doctor, his name was Samson or something, shook his hand and said hello.

X

That hour dragged on. Every aspect of Steve's life was asked out. He tried to skirt around the questions, but they always came back up. He all but sprinted out of the room. Wanting to collect himself, he didn't call Chief right away. Maybe going to the appointment would get him some brownie points. In lieu of calling, he finished unpacking and began to make dinner. Another one of his conditions; he had to eat three times a day again. Coffee didn't count, and Chief would call him out if he was lying. So many conditions for his benefit.

He tried to keep to them. Chief had slowly come back to him, and their daily calls were helping. Everything else he was working on was for his kid. Granted, Gar was much older now, and clearly not in any immediate need for Steve to come to his aid. It still made him worry about Gar. The old saying of not knowing what you had until it was gone was slowly becoming his motto. He wanted to show his son that he was trying to fix his mistakes. That he wasn't going to try and bury himself in his work.

That was his method of healing. When something went wrong, he would go and hide in the office. Those files were his escape, the numbers and facts made sense for him. All the other stuff, failed missions and injuries, didn't matter. Even if it was clear that his team, his family thought he was heartless. It was a source of arguments between Rita and him. He tried to make her understand it. But, no matter how hard he tried, nothing clicked between them. Soon, it became a problem between him and his son. And it became the final straw, too.

Lunch was a small bowl of pasta. To humor Chief, he sent a photo to the other man. There was no reply, which he didn't expect, and once he finished the meal he decided that a nap would be good. He had barely closed his eyes when there was a knock on the door. Frowning, and double checking to make sure he still had his weapons, he walked over to the door. A quick peek through the peep hole had his face going pale. Steeling himself, he opened the door. Robin didn't bother with any greetings. Neither did the girl.

Raven, he remembered after a quick second, breezed by him and sat down on the couch. Her face gave nothing away. Robin followed her and sat beside her. Steve locked the door behind them.

"I hope no one saw you."

"Of course, we know how to get around meager security." Robin scoffed. Steven sat down on the chair opposite them.

"This is a little bit out of your city zone, isn't it?" Steve asked after the silence began to be too much.

"I'd say you're the one out of his comfort zone." Raven pointed out. "Why would that be, Mento?"

"I have my reasons. Since you tracked me down, I feel I'm entitled to run the show here."

"Nice try." Raven said. Her voice was cold. "You don't get to walk in here and demand to have control. Did you really think that we wouldn't notice you coming closer to him?" Her eyes narrowed at him. "Or that he wouldn't find out?"

"Gar knows?" Steve said after a few moments. "Did he send you?"

"No, he doesn't know. When he meant that he didn't want much information on you, other than you being healthy and sane, he meant it, Mento."

"So, what are you doing here?" Steve was at a loss for this. There was no reason for the Titans to come and see him. Robin leaned back against the cushions.

"I believe Chief mentioned to you that he told me of your intentions. I'm here to see if those he claimed to see are actually here." At Steve's expression, he continued. "I take the safety of my team seriously."

"I'm not going to hurt him!" Steve cried.

"You already did. Forgive us for not trusting you a second time." Raven told him. "You didn't have to put him back together."

There was a hardness in her eyes. Robin looked at her and put a hand on her knee. There was a silent conversation going on here, and he didn't try to read their thoughts. He wouldn't upset them any more than they already were.

"What we're trying to say is that we need you to be certain you're ready to come back into his life. The fallout of this was hard enough on him, he doesn't need a dragged-out thing on top of it." Robin said. Steve rubbed his hands together.

"I want to see him again. I do."

"That's not what we asked." Raven said. "Do you have any idea what kind of backlash this is getting? How many League members have come up to him and said how sorry they were, but it didn't surprise them that half of the Doom Patrol was dead? All the while, you were off who knows where, not giving a damn."

"I was grieving!" Steve shouted, finally fed up with this. "Look here, sweetheart, this was my team that died, not yours." Robin tried to calm everyone down.

"We understand that. What Raven is trying to say is that outside of Beast Boy initially coming to see you, there hasn't been any other contact."

"He didn't want any."

"So, you're going against his wishes again." Raven sneered.

"I've failed him enough times. I won't let it happen again." Steve dropped his head into his hands. "Why are you here?"

"Despite Raven's points," Robin shot her a look when she opened her mouth. "We want to help you. Beast Boy is important to us, and you're important to him. So, if we can move past the yelling, we want to know what we can do to help."

Steve finally lifted his head.


	9. Risking (BBxMento) Arch 3 Part 3

Author's note: And here's the final part. School is back in session, there's supposed to be a snow storm coming (right when I need to head back home of course). So, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

The summer air whipped through the park. Steve was enjoying the sun, sitting on the bench in one of Jump City's few public areas, and watched the people go by. It had taken a long time to even be invited into the area. Since that initial first meeting, Steve had worked at building up trust, not with his son, but with the four other members of the Titans. They were serious in helping repair the relationship, that wasn't ever in doubt, but they wanted to know his intentions. They also wanted to know him; countless talks had seen to that.

Steve was beginning to see what his son did in them. Granted, they could get on his nerves, and vice versa, so the progress was slow. Raven, in particular, tended to push him. Starfire had pulled him aside once and told him that she took these sorts of things seriously. People that suddenly walked back into Gar's life didn't always have the best effect. There was a story there, Steve was sure of it, but he didn't ask. Now, almost four months later, he was finally in Jump. Robin had told him that today they'd tell Gar about their situation.

There had been more communication on his end then he could ever remember. His therapist, which he went to twice a week without fail now, was keen on keeping those talking points open. Any deep seeding issues were picked apart and discussed, sometimes with the psychologist, other times with the Titans. Not surprisingly, most of the issues lied with the Doom Patrol. He was sure that he was betraying Beast Boy's confidence at times like these; a certain tail or fact would come up, and he could tell from their faces that gar hadn't talked about it to his team.

Steve was shaken out of his thoughts when another person sat down on the bench. Cyborg leaned forward, so his elbows were balanced on his knees, and nodded in greeting.

"I think it might be best for me to walk you back to your place." He suggested. Steve winced.

"Is it safe to assume that it didn't go over well?" Steve asked. A pair of bikers flew by them. Cyborg sighed.

"I won't lie to you, Mento, B's pissed as hell right now. He has every right to be angry, so we just need to let him be for a while."

"It's been months since I've talked to him." Steve said. All he wanted to was to see his boy. Cyborg shot him a sympathetic look.

"We know you want to see him. All this time you've been dealing with us. Chief was keeping Beast Boy in the loop, but he didn't tell him where you went."

"He didn't figure it out?" Steve asked. The look Cyborg gave him made his chuckle weakly.

"Oh, he figured it out all right. I think he figured we'd own up to it sooner. My point is, it might be for everyone's benefit if we give him a little space." They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"What did he say to you? About all of this?" Steve was desperate for any information.

"Well, he did mention that he finds it rather ironic that we're the ones working on rebuilding the bridge when all of us stated, at one time or another, how much we didn't like you." Cyborg leaned back against the wood. "Honestly, I think he's more shocked than anything. He really didn't expect for you to fight back so hard." Steve wasn't surprised; he never fought hard enough for Gar.

"Is he back at the tower now?" Steve asked after Cyborg went quiet again. He couldn't imagine what Gar was thinking; his powers, while he hadn't used them on anyone in a long time, didn't work well over long distances. "Maybe I should just go and talk to him. This has been going on long enough." This had been going on longer than months. An argument this bad, and the fallout that came after, was years in the making. A lot of the tension was on his end. All he wanted to do was talk to his son about this.

"I'm not sure." Cyborg shrugged. "He stormed off once we told him, said he didn't want to talk to us at the moment. His ears were flat against his head, so we knew he was angry, it wouldn't have been smart to try and follow him." Mento flinched. Gar never had a temper when they used to argue; Steve was able to use words like swords, and many times his son would flee before throwing back his own. Rita said he was too kind to stoop to using low blows. Steve figured he had never been given the chance to.

"Does he get angry like that often?" Steve found himself asking lots of questions like these. He was curious to the dynamics that made the Titan's work. Starfire was more than happy to, and after some time, Cyborg did as well. Raven didn't trust him, and Robin was keeping a close eye on things.

"Not a lot. I can count on one hand how many times I've seen Beast Boy mad. Honesty, I think that he's just gotten good at hiding all the crap that bothers him. Kid just buries his feelings. It's not his fault, or yours, dome head."

Steve snorted at the name. "It is my fault. We never talked about stuff like this, back when the others were around. It was dangerous on the field, and we never knew who our enemies were." He rubbed his hands together as the distant sound of children playing floated over to them. "I pushed him far enough away where he wouldn't have talked to me if it was his last choice."

"He cares about you. Always goes toe to toe with people who try to drag your name through the mud." Cyborg smiles. "He wins those fights every single time."

"Does that happen a lot?" Steve asked sharply. Cyborg hurried to explain.

"Not as much. It was bad, in the beginning, once he came back. Now people know not to mess with it." Cyborg stood up. "Honestly, I think that people stopped arguing because B doesn't give many reasons to start arguments. I think we should get going, Steve, looks like we've avoided this waiting game long enough."

X

Steve should have known what was waiting for him. After all, everything Gar knew about scouting and stake outs came from him. Cyborg didn't follow him in, which didn't help matters.

"Did you follow us, or just find the place?" Steve asked lamely when the changeling didn't make a move to talk first.

"Followed you. I figured one of them would go tell you how it went." Gar didn't give anything away. Steve didn't try to get a glimpse into his mind. "Have you really been talking to them for months?" There was a small note of betrayal, but Steve didn't focus on that.

"Yes. He came here on my own, then they just showed up one day. Turns out they're more stubborn than you." Steve said with a small smile. Gar rolled his eyes and leaned back into the couch.

"I'm not going to focus on how they got involved in this right now. I knew they were up to something, there's only so many patrols Robin could send me on with Aqualad before I caught on." Steve moved to sit near him. "I'd ask Chief how you were. He said you were resting, getting better. He didn't mention that you left the manor." There was a dull throb when he mentioned the house, but Steve steeled himself. Gar was running this conversation, so Steve gave him all of his attention.

"I told Chief I had to get out. It was a bad night, and I called him in a panic. Told him I needed to be closer to you, even though I knew I didn't have a right to be." Steve had practiced how he would explain this to Gar.

"What part of 'I don't want to talk to you anymore' didn't make sense?" Gar asked quietly. Steve wilted.

"It made sense. You were angry, and you had every right to be!" Steve said when Gar glared at him. "But, you're my boy, Gar. You and Chief are all I have left. I'm being selfish here. So, you can be angry all you want. This time I'm not letting go. I can't."

"Did you know I gave Cyborg my old communicator? I told him to get rid of it. Every time I looked at it I felt sick." He hung his head. "I was so angry at you. And it was exhausting. I figured if I didn't have to talk to you, or have anything to do with you, it wouldn't be so bad. It worked well enough for a couple years in the beginning, before Robin started asking questions."

"He mentioned it. Said that he couldn't do that. Robin saved all the messages I sent you. They both said that you tended to shut down after things like this happened. Your way of dealing with everything." Steve told him. Gar finally looked at him.

"That's what we're calling this? A thing that happened? I'm willing to come talk to you, Mento, but I'm not going to let you skirt around what happened. Call it what it is." Steve licked his lips.

"The others died. I made a poor call, and it was my fault." He shut his eyes. "I know I don't have any right to ask you to forgive me. I tried with Chief and I almost got my ass handed to me. So, be pissed. Yell, ignore me, I don't care. Just know that I'm going to try to fix this. Not because I deserve it, but because they would want me to. They loved you just as much as me." The last line wasn't a fair move, and he knew it when Gar's shoulders hunched. Steve's throat was tight.

"That's not a fair move, and you know it." Gar said when both of them weren't trembling anymore. "I'm not making any promises. There's still a lot of things we need to talk about, and I'm still angry at you." Gar straightened up. "Actually, angry isn't the word."

"You want to take my head off, right?"

"Something like that." Steve gave a weak laugh before sobering up. "I wouldn't expect you to stop being angry. I just want you to know that I'm not going to stop. I should have gone after you when you left the first time. There shouldn't have been a second, or a third." He pointed at the changeling. "I'm staying here."

"You said that last time. All you could talk about was how you would keep in touch more, that you wanted to get to know my friends. Then you disappeared." Gar stood up. "Maybe this time you're right about wanting to be involved. Robin seems to think that you're being sincere, and he's usually right." Steve could sense that he was holding his frustration back. There was no way Gar could be so calm about this.

"My track record isn't the best, I'm aware of that. I'd like to change it." Steve looked down. "If you'd let my try, Gar."

"What if I say that I don't want you to." Gar asked blandly. Steve felt a fission of panic hit him, but he pressed on.

"Then I'd say that you're right to think that. All evidence shows that I've never lived up to those claims." Steve stood up to match his son. "The only thing I can do is stick around and prove it to you." Gar nodded. The silence was killing him.

"You need to get better security on the windows. And the cameras here are crap." Gar moved to the door. "Cyborg could help you. Call him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Steve couldn't help the little leap his heart gave at that.

"Yes. If you're staying for the long term, you might as well have better protection." The changeling paused. "We have training tomorrow morning. And patrols till late afternoon, but after that you could come to the Tower. You might as well see the inside of it." With that, he slipped out the door. Steve could feel himself smiling.

It wasn't a sign of acceptance or forgiveness. The only thing Steve could do was show that he meant to stay this time. This time, the tears were happy ones.


	10. Stuffing (Team) Arch 4 Part 1

Author's note: As I post this, my roommate is yelling about the state of her treatment plan. So, all in all, college is going great. This little arch is going to be fun to write. So, read, review, and enjoy! Also, if you have ideas, let me know :)

* * *

One of the few bad things of living in a tower together was that when tensions tended to run high, small fights would break out. Usually, these wouldn't amount to anything, and were quickly forgotten. The ones that didn't immediately go away turned into other, larger, fights, and lasted several days; the longest was a week and a half, and all of them still got tense when talking about it. The simplest way to resolve these fights were with a few pranks. When it came down to this, there were two culprits: Robin and Cyborg. The two worst prank instigators.

Most would assume that Beast Boy would get involved, but when Robin stepped in, he safely moved to the side lines with the girls. Then it was only a matter of time before the boys tried to get him on their team. Raven thought it was hilarious, since Cyborg and Robin wanted him for his knowledge in all the hidden places in the tower, and Starfire was just pleased that everyone was getting along. Well, mostly getting along. That was the situation today. Robin and Cyborg had been at each other's throats all week, and it was getting progressively worse.

"That's it, I'm moving to another floor. I can't stand to listen to them anymore!" Beast Boy fumed as he stormed into the room. Raven looked up from her book, not surprised by the statement. Even though Beast Boy and her shared a floor, the changeling could still hear what happened on the one above them, where Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire lived. The arguing had gotten to the point where the earplugs weren't cutting it anymore.

"What are they fighting about now?" Starfire asked, letting a bit of annoyance seep in. Even she was getting fed up with this behavior.

"Who knows. Maybe it's about how Robin used all the hot water in the boy's bathroom, or how Cyborg went over budget again, honestly I think they're just calling out random things and fighting about it." Beast Boy, in a show of how pissed he was at all of this, actually glared when Cyborg finally walked in.

"I need your help." Cyborg completely bypassed the girls. Beast Boy didn't even spar him a glance.

"Nope. I'm not getting involved." Ducking under Cyborg's arm, he left the kitchen, not answering to Cyborg's calls.

"What the hell! I need his help." Cyborg complained. "Did Robin get him on his side? If he did, that's a low blow." Raven rolled her eyes and pushed her tea away.

"Ok, first off, you know he wouldn't do that. Second, just fight it out with Robin and be done with it. The rest of us would like to hang out with our friends again." Cyborg had the decency to look ashamed.

"You can hang out with us."

"Not in the same room. So, do us all a favor and get over this little spat. I don't think I'll be able to take the tension for much longer and I know you just got some new mugs. It would be a shame if those were the first to break." The threat had Cyborg lowering his head.

"Ok, I'll go figure it out." Cyborg said. Starfire gave him a look. "Alright! I'll go talk to Robin and stop this. Geez, don't twist my arm." With a huff, he left the kitchen. Starfire laughed when he was gone.

"It is so easy to get him to do what we want."

"Yes, now we need to wait and see if he actually stops this pointless fight." Raven wasn't very hopeful.

Two hours later, Raven was more than ready to throw both the idiots out of the tower. Cyborg and Robin had gone from simple arguing, to sarcastic comments to one another, with the occasional punch thrown in. Unfortuantely, they couldn't run anywhere since they had training today, and these insults continued as they went through their paces. Raven was waiting for her turn on the obstacle course when she finally had enough.

"Alright, that's it!" She yelled. Storming over to the two boys, she told Beast Boy to watch Starfire finish. Then, grabbing an ear on both boys, she stormed off inside the tower.

That was quite a feat to accomplish, as Cyborg was taller than her and Robin more adapt at blocking her. It didn't matter; both boys knew she was pissed and weren't stupid enough to ask her what she was doing. There was a small closet on the second floor that served her purpose. Tossing Robin in, and then pushing Cyborg in after him, she stood in the doorway and glared at both of them until they went silent.

"You'll be staying in here till this is fixed. Fight it out or make up, hell ignore each other for all I care, just know that when I finally let you out, this little spat will be over. Understand?" Raven could feel her power itching to get out, being angry tended to do that, but she tried to sooth it as best she could.

"But he started it!" Cyborg cried. Raven narrowed her eyes.

"I'm ending it!" She fired back. "This has been going on for far too long. You both are acting like children. Since you seem to want to act like a pair of youngsters, you'll be treated as such. Consider this your time out corner."

With that, Raven turned around, slammed the door and locked it. For good measure, she used her magic to seal the door, lightly of course, to ensure that neither boy could get out. She rapped her knuckles on the door.

"When you've decided to act your age, call me. Until then, try not to kill each other." Raven said cheerfully. She didn't have to wait long until there was a reply.

"Raven, this isn't funny! Let us out!" Robin yelled. Rolling her eyes, Raven walked away. It was so much quieter in the halls. Starfire and Beast Boy were in the common room.

"Oh, god, you killed them, didn't you?" Beast Boy asked when she walked in alone. Usually she would be annoyed with his comment, but she ignored it. All of them deserved to throw a few murder-y comments around.

"No, I didn't, though I really wanted to. I locked them in the closet." She pointed a finger in Beast Boy's direction. "Keep your mouth shut. You used your one stupid line for the hour." Pouting, Beast Boy huffed and sank back against the couch.

"I don't understand why he needs to keep his mouth closed." Starfire mused. Raven put her kettle on. She was going to take advantage of the peace and quiet.

"It's fine, Star, just consider it something only Beast Boy would say."

"Rude." Beast Boy griped as he walked in and settled in to watch her. The three of them made lunch, Starfire wanted to bring the boys something, but Raven said no. They hadn't killed each other, so they could last a little longer. Raven was putting her foot down. Another two hours passed before her communicator chimed. The common room was empty, the other two going off to amuse themselves on this break.

At some point, Raven decided to check on them. The hallway was quiet, and her magic was still in place, not that she expected it to move. She cheerfully knocked on the door.

"Please tell me that both of you are still alive. Or that the mess from the murder won't be hard to clean." Raven called in. There was a scrambling noise from the other side.

"Oh, thank god, let us out!" Robin said.

"You've had a laugh, now come on, Raven, cut it out!" Cyborg seconded. Frowning, Raven was sure that this hadn't worked as well as she would have liked.

"I don't think so, at least not yet." Raven crossed her arms. "Did you talk about your little spat?"

"It wasn't a spat!"

"He was being unreasonable!"

"The stupid idiot wouldn't listen!"

"Stupid? I'm sorry, I can debate like a mature adult, you fight like a child."

"Mature adult? Please, everyone knows you'd bend down to anyone if you needed to."

Rubbing her temples, Raven decided it was time for a new approach. Fine, being locked in a closet together wasn't going to help. Maybe they needed the proper motivation. She thumbed open her communicator and pressed the call button.

"Rae?"

"Wait, why are you calling B? What are you doing Raven?" Robin asked. She could imagine him glaring at her through the door.

"I need you to come down to the second floor. Bring Starfire with you." Raven ordered. For once, Beast Boy didn't comment on her tone. He had long ago learned not to screw with her when she was like this. Or maybe he was enjoying not being the cause of her irritation.

"Raven, please, I need to get out of here."

"Begging isn't going to help you, Cyborg." Raven droned as she waited. There was a very loud huff.

"Girl, I need to go!"

"Not until both of you fix your attitude problem."

"I meant to the bathroom!" Cyborg screeched. Rolling her eyes, Raven waved her hand and the magic disappeared. Opening the door, she stopped Cyborg from bolting out.

"You will use the one at the end of the hall, and then come right back. So help me, Cyborg, if you run, I'll turn the T-Car into a pile of silver toothpicks." Looking faint at the thought of harm coming to his beloved car, he scampered off. Robin was fuming at her.

"What?" Raven asked. She was so over this attitude both boys had.

"You let him go! What the hell, Raven?" Robin cried. At this moment, no one would be able to see the mature front that the boy wonder used in front of the press and other superheroes. Right now, he was asking like a normal, 17-year-old with a major attitude problem.

"He needed to pee. Sorry if his bladder isn't superior to yours."

"All of my parts are superior to his." Cyborg injected as he came back. Raven pointed at the open space next to Robin and the android went, keeping his eyes to the ground. He purposely hit Robin with his shoulder, throwing the other boy off balance for a moment.

"This is how it's going to work. When Beast Boy and Starfire get her, we are all going to go to a bigger room. Then, we are going to fix this. I'm sick of it and so are they."

"Oh, good, is this the part where we get to yell at them?" Beast Boy said as he rounded the corner with Starfire.

"You couldn't yell at anyone if you tried." Robin said confidently. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow, which was a move he must have stolen from her.

"Try me, Robin." The changeling challenged. Finally understanding that he was in trouble, Robin looked down.

"We have taken the liberty to pick a room on this floor. It will be big enough for all of us." Starfire told Raven without pause.

"You were in on this?" Cyborg asked.

"No, I just heard Raven yelling at you." Beast Boy said nonchalantly. With that, all five of them walked down the hall. It was one of the spare bedrooms. Each of them took up a different spot to sit in.

Starfire went to the sheet-less bed, curling up near the top. Beast Boy rested easily on the desk; she did the proper thing and took the chair that went with it. Which left the boys with either the open spaces on the bed with Starfire, or on the small couch. Ironically, the couch was in the middle of the three of them. Good, that meant that she didn't have to reach very far to hit them when they started to argue again. That was Cyborg and Robin's way of dealing with things; argue, throw a few punches, and hurl insults.

"So, what now?" Robin grumbled. He pressed himself as close as he could to the arm of the couch. Cyborg did the same, not sparing a glance at the teammate beside him. Starfire stared hard at her boyfriend.

"We will sit here and help you solve your argument." She continued when Robin opened his mouth. "We have given you chances to fix this. More than enough, in my opinion. Now we wish for you to stop this nonsense." Starfire cracked a smile at Beast Boy. "What was the line you told me?"

"Act your age, not your shoe size."

Wincing, Robin sank lower on the couch. Raven wished she had a cup of tea. This was going to take a while.


End file.
